A mission to unite all Jews around the world in Mishnah study
A popular theme is that the Mishna, which is obscure and uninterpretable without toil and hard work, parallels the soul’s many and deep layers.
By SHMUEL SLUTKITwo pages from the first complete Mishna(photo credit: Courtesy)
Studying Mishna for the merit of a soul is a long-standing tradition of the people of Israel.Rabbi Isaac Luria Ashkenazi has already spoken about the relationship between studying Mishna and its effects on the soul.On the question of what the Mishna and the soul have in common beyond the letter anagram (“Mishna” and “neshama” have the same Hebrew letters), various explanations have been offered.A popular theme is that the Mishna, which is obscure and uninterpretable without toil and hard work, parallels the soul’s many and deep layers.Many point out that the Mishna is the essence of the Torah, which expressed its creation by the Giving of the Torah, but is also based on the tradition passed down from generation to generation. The human soul is the fruit of previous generations, but its source is the creator of the world.It was revealed in a book by Rabbi Maimon that the author Tosafot Yom Tov was asked by the Maharal about the custom to study Mishna in honor of the deceased, and he replied that since the Sadducees denied the Oral Torah and resurrection, studying Mishna is the base to establish the belief in the Oral Law, and thus also resurrection.In any case, the custom of studying Mishna for the ascension of the deceased’s souls on the day they died, in the year of mourning and at other events, has been practiced for centuries and has a firm foundation in the remembrance and mourning practices of the Jewish people.There are Mishnah learners who start with the letters of “neshama,” there are Mishna learners who start with the deceased’s name, and other practices that have developed around the course of study.The World Organization of Orthodox Synagogues and Communities has taken it upon itself this year as a mission to unite all Jews around the world in Mishna study, in memory, and for the merit of the souls, of fallen IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism.The goal is twofold. On the one hand, it is to strengthen bereaved families and encourage world Jewry, East and West, in Israel and the Diaspora, so that everyone respects and appreciates the sacrifice the fallen have taken while on guard for Israel.On the other hand, it is to instill in everyone studying the involvement with, responsibility and dedication for, the Land of Israel and for the Jewish people.When a family congregates and studies inside its home at a distant point on the globe for the ascension of the souls IDF soldiers; when every family that studies has its location lit up on the world map, it says, “In this house, we study and cherish the IDF fallen,” “We appreciate their contribution to the Jewish state,” “We respect them and their families.” This is a huge message for the bereaved families and the entire Jewish people.One does not have to be defined as belonging to a specific camp to participate in the program. Religious or secular, from this or that ethnicity, from Israel or from abroad, everyone can join. Just as the IDF soldiers and the victims of terrorism were from the various camps in Israel, religious and secular, Israelis and volunteers from abroad, Jews in Israel and Jews who were murdered abroad, so, too, in study all are equal.Therefore, we made sure to publish the materials on the site in Hebrew and on a parallel site in English.We have selected mishnayot dealing with issues of responsibility, mutual guarantee, dedication and the sanctity of the Land of Israel.We have included special prayers from the main military cantor, “El Malei Rahamim,” a prayer for the welfare of the state and for the welfare of the IDF soldiers and kaddish.We have also included prayers in a Jerusalem-Mizrahi style so that everyone will feel comfortable and be able to connect to the source of the Israeli nation on this holy and special day through the joint study.Our prayers and hopes and beliefs that the state is dear to us and for which the fallen have died will continue to grow and flourish the wilderness out of the unity and love of all Israel.The writer, a rabbi, is the director of the World Organization of Orthodox Synagogues and Communities.
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